


Sunshower

by Nenalata



Series: Farmer's Almanac [2]
Category: Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Genre: Auras, Budding Love, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting to LIIIIIIKE you, Getting to hope you like meeee, Getting to knoooooow you, Getting to know allllll abouuuut you, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Okay I'm done singing The King and I, One-Sided Wayne/Holly | Nanami, Romance, Slow Burn, So much sap it's a wonder a tree didn't sprout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-11-20 22:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11344821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenalata/pseuds/Nenalata
Summary: "You're...like the sun. Standing near you makes me warm and brightens my day.""It's not that I don't like that. It's just when you're this close, uh, my heart rate starts goin' up."A story about rival events that should have happened but didn't.





	1. Winter

**Author's Note:**

> I usually disagree with rival pairing headcanons for the HM/SOS games that don't have any rival events, so feel free to disagree with mine. I think these two would've been cute together.
> 
> There will be some stuff hinted at to my other Wayne story, Stars in Her Eyes, but it's not necessary to read that sad one if you're here for a fluffy ride. Just a heads-up.

                                                                  

“The sun is too bright today,” Siluka yawned as she and Iluka made the bed. Her sister snapped her side of the sheets and gave Siluka a look.

“What’re you talking about?”

“The sun,” Siluka replied patiently. She fluffed a pillow, smoothing her head’s imprint from the fabric. “It woke me up.”

“Siluka,” the tone was equally patient, “I want you to look out the window.”

Confused, Siluka turned her head and let the sheets slide from her fingers. The window was dark. Iluka was rustling the final touches on the bed when Siluka furrowed her brows her direction. “But I saw the sun!”

“It’s winter, little sister. The sun won’t be up for another few hours. You were probably dreaming.”

Siluka knew better than to argue and followed her sister to the kitchen to make breakfast, but she couldn’t help stealing glimpses out the window when she thought Iluka wasn’t looking. She knew what she’d seen.

Bright, yellow sun glowing through the window, moving at an easy pace through the winter chill. White edges around golden beams and nature’s love.

The next day, the sun woke her up too early again. Siluka slid out of bed without waking Iluka and scampered to the window in the dark, her bare feet freezing against the cold floor. The sun waved at someone unseen, rounded the bonfire, golden tendrils battling with the red roar of the flames, and headed on to the Tsuyukusa bridge. She watched him go long after his light faded into the bamboo shoots and fog, until Iluka muttered some groggy question about why she was still at the window.

“It wasn’t the sun,” she explained over breakfast. 

“Of course not. I told you that.”

“It was an aura.”

Iluka raised a brow at that. “Really? Whose?”

“The postman’s. I forget his name.”

Her sister gave a contemptuous snort. “Wayne.”

“You don’t like him,” Siluka guessed after swallowing a spoonful of fruit.

“He’s just like all the other customers who are all creepy and hit on you,” Iluka complained. “You should stay away from him. Holly at the farm tells me he has a—get this—a _fan club_ over in Westown.”

Siluka’s eyes strayed to the window as she munched. Iluka snapped her fingers in front of her face, and Siluka met her gaze again with reluctance. “His aura doesn’t seem like he’s free with his love.” Iluka snorted again and began clearing the table. “The opposite, actually.”

She began searching for him after that, like a sunflower’s face searching for warmth. He only seemed to come by in the early morning, when his radiant aura would glow through her window and coax her eyelids open. She napped more frequently as a result. Iluka gave up on convincing her to drop her fascination, choosing to roll her eyes and grin whenever the winter sun cast a particularly warm beam on Siluka’s face and she’d perk up with a searching, sweeping gaze. 

“It’s the actual sun, sister,” she’d tease. Siluka didn’t understand the teasing. Iluka hadn’t commented on anyone else’s auras that had been pointed out to her before. She seemed to take some delight in this new development, but Siluka couldn’t place the source of her amusement.

Sometimes, Holly would stop by Ludus’s shop after it had closed for the day with packages to deliver. Other days, Wayne would. Siluka could tell by the way the weak sunbeams would dim even further, shadowing her house for a moment before Wayne’s aura lit it up. She’d been learning to tune his glow out so she could enjoy her sleep more, but when the nights came early and darkness shrouded Lulukoko much sooner than she was accustomed to, it was harder to ignore.

“Ludus,” she asked him an afternoon as chilly as it got in Lulukoko, “how do you order all your supplies?”

Ludus quirked a brow at her, but continued tying knots in his shop’s rope. “Phone orders, usually. Sometimes I see them on the inn TV, sometimes I see them in magazines. There’s almost always a number to call.”

“Hmm,” Siluka nodded, thinking hard. She and Iluka didn’t have a TV, and they hadn’t subscribed to magazines since they were teenagers.

“—I have?”

She blinked. Ludus sighed, but it was a good-natured sigh. “You weren’t listening.”

“I was thinking.”

“I said, is there something you need that I have?”

She blinked again, slowly. “No. I still haven’t decided.”

Ludus gave her a look. People were doing that with growing frequency these days. “Right.”

“Can I borrow one of your magazines?”

The first shipment came two days later, when Siluka was waitressing. “Hey, Siluka. Delivery for you, right?” A carefully-wrapped package was thrust in front of her. She turned away from the cafe bar to see Holly, the farmer, presenting her with the item. Her aura was green.

“Oh,” Siluka said. Holly’s ten-thousand—watt grin dimmed. 

“Is this for someone else?”

Siluka inspected the shipping label. “No, it’s for me. I forget what I ordered, though.”

Holly laughed. “Guess you’ll have to open it and remember, huh?” She held the package a little higher, and Siluka took it from her without another word.

The next shipment came the next day. Holly showed up with it again. “I thought you were a farmer, not a postal worker,” Siluka said with maybe a bit more heat than she usually felt, but Holly didn’t appear to notice.

“Part-time work!” she said cheerfully as Siluka took the package with reluctance. “I always take the item delivery jobs when I can. They’re easy cash, and I get to catch up with everyone in the towns.”

“And you always take them?”

“Well, Wayne has to make a living, too,” Holly said awkwardly. “I guess he handles them when I’m too busy.”

Siluka, more than a little pink at the name, made a humming noise of understanding, and Holly left, more packages under her arm. But she looked behind her as she did. 

The final shipment was accepted with the same amount of disappointment, but this time, Holly spoke up. “Tell me if I’m being too personal, Siluka,” she began, the tone in her voice hard to read, “but are you expecting someone else?”

Siluka smiled at her. “You’re right. You’re good at guessing.” She began unwrapping the package, having already forgotten what she’d ordered. The packaging fell apart in her quick fingers. Another hammer. She walked to the corner of the room where she’d put the other hammer and the saw.

“It wasn’t that hard,” Holly chuckled, relieved by Siluka’s admission. “I didn’t think you knew Wayne that well.”

Siluka fumbled with the hammer, stepping back just as it fell so her toes wouldn’t suffer for it. “Oops. I don’t. He has an aura like the sun.”

“An interesting aura, huh?” A curious look came over Holly’s face. Siluka stared at her, trying to read the other woman’s aura to divine her secrets, but it was emerald green, as always. 

“Yeah. It wakes me up every morning. I want to know him better so that I can understand why his aura is so…” Siluka trailed off, struggling to find the word. Sparkly? Radiant? Bright? Glowing? None of those words quite captured it. It took her a minute to realize Holly had been speaking and was now waving goodbye. She waved her hand in belated farewell, but the door had already closed behind her.

Iluka was not pleased with the new addition to their tool set when she came back from her walk. “You ordered two hammers we don’t need,” she complained, eying the tools leaning haphazardly against the sofa. “I understand that we didn’t have a saw, but really, what’s up, Siluka?”

Siluka chewed her lip, spacing out while she considered sharing this with her sister. She shook her head, wondering at her desire to keep this hidden. “I wanted to have something delivered, but we don’t have a TV.”

Iluka frowned. 

“What?”

“Why did you want to order something? Shop therapy? Is something wrong? Did someone treat you like crap? I’ll go after them if they did!”

Siluka laughed, trying to cover her mouth to hide the giggles. “No, no. I wanted a way to talk to Wayne, and this was the only thing I could think of.”

Iluka rolled her eyes and flounced away to the kitchen. “You got me all riled up for nothing. I didn’t realize it was because of a _boy_.”

Siluka pursed her lips. “I don’t care about a _boy_.”

“You could just, I dunno, talk to him? You don’t need to make up excuses.”

She shuffled her feet and stared at the ground, vowing not to order anything more. Her New Year’s Resolution, when the new year came, would be to talk to him.

But the next day, she had another delivery. And the sun came to make it.

She knew it was him before she opened the door. When she heard the knock, Siluka scrambled to the front room with such speed that she nearly tripped over her own feet. She threw open the door, and when she saw his rays of light, she beamed so brightly as to rival his own glow. “Hi,” she said. He looked flabbergasted at the sight of her, eyes flicking down to her smile then back to her face. Something passed over his face, but when he winked, the puzzling expression vanished.

“Howdy. I mean—er, y’all say ‘Aloha’ here, right?”

“Howdy,” Siluka tried. Her smile grew at the feeling of the odd greeting in her mouth. Wayne snickered.

“I reckon I sounded just as ridiculous, huh?”

“You did,” Siluka agreed. She smiled at him some more. Wayne stared, mouth half-open like he was about to say something, but after a few more seconds of silence, he fished around in his messenger bag.

“Got somethin’ for you. A magazine. Here.” He held it out to her, slick purple pages glinting in the winter sun. She didn’t take it, stared at his face instead. His ears were slightly red. “Here,” he said again.

“I didn’t order a magazine,” she told him.

“Sure you did,” he said, flipping the thing over. “See? It’s got your name an’ address on the back.”

Siluka took the magazine and inspected it. “Maybe I forgot.” She turned it back to the cover. _Mystic Monthly_. Didn’t sound familiar.

A sunbeamed finger tapped the title. She looked up at Wayne’s face, startled. He grinned. “I get this one myself. Got some good articles on astrology. Not just horoscopes, mind you.” He touched the brim of his hat, bashful. “I know it ain’t right to comment on people’s mail, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

“You like this sort of thing?”

“I do. And a lovely lady like you seems to, also.”

“Who?” Siluka asked. No one else in Lulukoko—or in the other two towns, for that matter—seemed interested.

Wayne winked at her. “You, of course.” Before she could have a chance to respond, he touched his hat again. “Beg pardon. You’re Miz Siluka, right?”

“And you’re Wayne.”

His laugh was like the flare of sunset. “My reputation precedes me!”

“No,” Siluka peered at him, “I could recognize you anywhere.” His laugh died, and he gave her that same puzzling expression as when she’d first answered the door. “Thank you for the magazine, Wayne.”

“Sure thing. Hey,” he said when she placed a reluctant hand on her doorknob, “let me know how you like this issue. It’s a seasonal one, so you won’t get another one ’til Spring. I usually pass by in the mornin’, but sometimes you can catch me at Ludus’s place in the afternoon.”

Siluka nodded seriously. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

“I bet Westown is too far for you, but on Sundays I’m back there.”

She observed him for another moment, trying to figure out if this was an invitation or a warning of his absence. “We should talk soon,” she decided. “I’m a fast reader.”

He grinned at her. “Will do. Good afternoon, Miz Siluka.”

“Bye, Wayne.”

As soon as his light was out of sight, she flipped through the magazine pages chock-full of aura-reading tips, horoscopes, astrological cautionary guidelines, and guardian spirit speculation, until she reached a stiff piece of cardboard in the center. Billing information. She took the card out, almost—but not quite—unsurprised to see Holly’s name and address already printed in the subscription renewal box.

She never got a chance to thank the farmer, Siluka realized once Spring came. She’d been too busy debating the existence of the guardian entities with Wayne, too excited about seeing his glow pass by Ludus’s shop, too animated in her descriptions of nature with him, too oblivious to see the way his eyes rested on her face, another light flashing within his irises when she smiled at him.

* * *

 

 

lovely picture by my talented sister [turtletwiggles](https://turtletwiggles.tumblr.com/)


	2. Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not entranced. He has light in his heart."

He ate at the cafe not long into the season. “Deliveries got me busy today,” Wayne said with a long sigh when she came to take his order. “Figured I could at least grab a bite to eat ‘fore I gotta be off again.”

“Oh,” she said. It was the first thing he’d said, like he needed an excuse. She hadn’t asked. “What do you want, then?”

He didn’t look at her when he ordered. “I don’t know if he’s mad at me,” she said to Iluka as her sister prepared his sandwich and lychee shake. 

“You should have invited him to Sealight Night,” Iluka admonished her without answering the concern. “Here, go give this to him.”

Siluka gaped. “That’s for _couples_.”

Iluka shoved the plate towards her. “Go be a waitress, Siluka.”

She took it and set it down in front of Wayne with a hard clap. He jolted in his seat. “I’m sorry for not inviting you to Sealight Night,” she announced, putting her hands on her hips in an admittedly Iluka-like pose. “I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings.”

Wayne gingerly pulled the plate closer to his side of the table. “Since I don’t know what ‘Sealight Night’ is, I can’t say I’m offended. But it sure is nice of you to worry about me.”

Siluka blinked, her fingers dropping from her hips. “I don’t understand,” she announced.

Wayne paused, shake straw halfway to his mouth. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“Apparently not,” she said, whisking herself away to give another man his bill. He overtipped her and grinned with too many teeth, but it managed to distract her enough to not notice Wayne’s gaze boring into her back.

“He didn’t even know what it was,” she complained to Iluka as they were closing up the cafe.

“Who, Wayne?”

“Yeah. He must be mad because I told him the other day that the latest issue of _Mystic Monthly_ didn’t have any mention of that rose that only blooms once a year, and I thought it was impor—“

“Siluka, chill out,” Iluka interrupted her. “His face was definitely not the face of a man holding a grudge.”

Siluka stopped wiping a table in confusion. “He wasn’t looking at me.”

“No offense, but you’re not the best at noticing that sort of thing. I was behind the counter, and _believe_ me, he was. Didn’t look too happy, but definitely not angry.” Siluka peered around, as if she could spot his sunlight from a mile away, but it was already getting dark out and he was probably back at his unseen home in Westown.

Wayne was very, very busy. Siluka looked for him in the following days, only catching glimpses of a sparkling light in Lulukoko seconds after he’d finished his route. That was okay—she was busy, too, Iluka soothed her. Siluka had customers to wait on, Ludus to bother, naps to take. She didn’t see him again until she and Iluka joined his and Ford’s team for the Beverage Bash. 

“All right, we’re joining up with you all,” Iluka decided once she had, in her picky fashion, examined everyone’s items. Siluka trailed behind her, peeking through her bangs to see Wayne’s reaction. He didn’t ignore her as Iluka talked—he winked at her. Siluka tugged on her braids to cover her mouth so he didn’t see her smiling.

They lost, even after Iluka’s careful planning. Holly, Yuzuki, Hector, and Komari took the prizes, and Iluka whined about being second place for the entire walk home. Wayne had offered to walk them back, but Ford had said something about how illogical that idea and distance was, and although his friend had protested at the thought of two women walking home alone, Ludus popped up and that was that. Now, of course, Ludus had to put up with Iluka’s vicious complaints.

“Speaking of something completely different,” he said when Iluka paused to fume silently, “and not that I take offense, but we usually enter this together. Why’d you two ditch me?”

“Were you lonely?” Siluka asked him with a half-smile. Ludus looked poised to retort, but Iluka scoffed.

“I had to test something out without Big Brother lurking over me.” She gestured to his towering figure with dramatic emphasis. “You would’ve ruined everything.”

“I’m not—ugh, forget it,” Ludus sighed. “I’m not even gonna ask.”

That night, Siluka scooched closer to Iluka in bed. “Are you awake?”

A shuffling and shifting of sheets, and Iluka rolled over with a grumpy noise. “I am now.”

“E kala mai,” Siluka said, not very sorry at all. “I think today was fun.”

“You woke me up for that?”

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Siluka said after a pause. “For joining Wayne’s team for me.”

A hand snaked out of Iluka’s pillow pile and clasped Siluka’s hand. “Of course. After the way he’s been staring after you, it would be cruel to you not to help things along.”

Siluka beamed and squeezed Iluka’s hand. “He’s been staring after me?”

“Oh, hush. Notice it yourself, already.”

And she started to. Started to see the way his sunlight would flash when he caught sight of her those rare late afternoons he came by. Started to feel the intensity of his gaze when she responded to his history tales with facts of her own, the interest he felt in what she was saying. Started wanting to know if she touched his hand if her own hand would glow from beneath. Started forgetting what he was saying after spending too long searching his aura for some new meaning. Started feeling bubbles in her stomach when she came out of her daydreaming to see him studying her face with that same puzzled expression quickly covered up with a smile.

She asked Holly about it, sneakily, when she came by to deliver some produce to the cafe. To her surprise, Holly only smiled sadly when the topic of Wayne’s feelings about his fans came up—sneakily. 

“You’re not being very sneaky, Siluka,” she said. “If you’re curious about him, you should ask him yourself.”

Although that was a scary thought, she had to find out. She had to know for herself, know his feelings, know why he looked at her with such a puzzled expression, and so towards the end of the season, when the air in Lulukoko was starting to get muggy, she took the day off and went to Westown. 

It was a long walk, made longer still by the hills and stairs. She could see a crowd up the hill by the post office sign, but she only got halfway up the stairs before fatigue set in. Siluka forced herself to climb the rest of the stairs, ignored the crowd, sat down beneath the meager shade a cactus offered, and fell asleep sitting up.

Dreams of hot sunshine and noisy storms infiltrated her sleep. It was not a particularly restful nap, and Siluka’s eyelids kept fluttering, glimpses of unfamiliar people and orange dust trickling into her dreaming to join the sun and storm. It felt like a very long dream, and a very long time after when she became aware of a man’s voice saying her name, each time with more intensity.

Her eyes opened, blinked away the fog of sleep. A small knot of pain poked somewhere in the muscles of her back. She saw Wayne’s aura before she saw his very-close face and smiled. “Aloha, Wayne.”

“Siluka, you’re all right,” Wayne said, exhaling a puff of warm breath. He released her shoulder, which she hadn’t realized he’d been gripping, and stood, offering her a hand. She took it and squeezed, still sitting down. “Do you…” She could see his throat move as he swallowed. “Do you need help standing up?” 

“Oh,” Siluka said, understanding now the reason for his extended hand. She squeezed harder and levered herself up to her feet. His chest was level with her eyes. She could smell heat and flowers on his lapel, and she sniffed slightly. His throat moved—she saw him swallow again, and she stepped back. “Mahalo.”

“What in the name of all that is sacred were you doin’ out here?” Wayne asked her, halfway between annoyed and concerned. His aura flashed quickly, then settled down. Siluka became aware of a hundred pairs of eyes on her, and she peeked around his shining shoulder to see his fans, staring, waiting. “It’s one of them hot days today, Siluka. You don’t wanna be takin’ a quick siesta out in this heat.”

“E kala mai,” Siluka started to say, then trailed off. The eyes were more intense now. “You didn’t call me ‘Miz.’”

Wayne started, comical, almost. His eyes went wide, his mouth opened in a little O shape, and he stepped back with arms tense and angular. She laughed, and he swept his hat off his head. “Forgive me, Miz Siluka. I got ahead of myself.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “You can just call me Siluka.” She peered around his bent shoulder again, seeing the fans whispering amongst themselves, auras dark muddy green with jealousy, all of them. “I think you have people waiting for you.”

Wayne started again, less dramatically this time, and whipped his head around. The fans all straightened up and smiled at him, calling his name, waving. He waved back, slowly, and when he turned to face Siluka again, his expression was sheepish, smile half-tilted. The fans glowered as soon as his back was turned. “I just hope you’re okay, M—Siluka. You should stop by Ford’s office on your way home. I can walk ya, if you’d like.”

She started to say she was fine, she’d napped in stranger places. But the sight of the dark green auras of the fans, the golden glow of his, and the concern rather than puzzlement on his face—and maybe something deeper, something syrupy and warm and tingly in her tummy—led her to smile at him through the sunlight and say, “That would be nice, mahalo.”

Siluka took his arm when he offered. The Westown fans in their stiff muslin dresses oozed envy behind her, whispering like the ocean tides, and some not very nice part of her reveled in the attention. But it soon faded in light of Wayne’s concern and easy touches on her arm, her back, the friendly way he led her across the train tracks to his friend’s office.

“You were lucky not to suffer from heatstroke,” Ford said once he’d given her a quick check-up. “But you will most likely be sunsick. I advise you to drink plenty of water and to take a quick nap once you’re back home in Lulukoko. Wayne, you might want to walk her back if you’re not doing anything.”

“I like taking naps,” Siluka chirped, but Ford only raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll check with Ethan, but I’m sure he’d understand my helping a lady in need.” This last comment he directed at Siluka with a wink, and for a moment, she became distracted by the way his eyelashes touched the skin by his eye. Then he was gone, with an admonishment to Ford to treat her well, and Siluka was left alone with the good doctor.

Ford crossed his arms and breathed a quick sigh when the door clicked shut. His aura was a steady blue, but when he ran a gloved hand through his hair, rainbow beams glowed slightly. “You’re a good doctor,” Siluka told him, her voice quiet and earnest.

He quirked another brow at that, but he nodded once, accepting the compliment. “I am pleased you found my services satisfactory.”

Something about him told Siluka he wouldn’t be impressed if she told him the aura in his hands was that of a healer. She thought for a while about the last time she’d seen such an aura, couldn’t place when.

“—cut out for you.”

Siluka’s attention swam back to the present. “What?”

Ford sighed again. He was a man of limited expressions, at least in the last ten minutes. “I said, you have your work cut out for you, with Wayne, I mean. He’s an enormous flirt and has the entire female population of this town wrapped around his little finger. Except for one,” he added as an afterthought.

Something in her heart drooped. “He didn’t strike me as the promiscuous sort,” she ventured, but to her surprise, both of Ford’s eyebrows raised this time, even pinched together a little bit. The man was truly stunned.

“Well, that was a correct assumption, if bluntly put,” Ford said, adjusting his glasses, which had slipped down his nose a bit. “No, he leads them on more than anything. He claims it’s ‘politeness,’ that he’d hate to break anyone’s heart. But being kind only encourages them even more. I’m surprised to see a woman from Lulukoko entranced by him, but here you are. I thought it only fair to warn you what you’re up against.”

“I’m not entranced,” Siluka said, drawing out the words slowly. “He has—“ She paused, the earlier concern about the doctor’s logical persuasion returning, “he has light in his heart.”

“That, I suppose, he does,” Ford agreed after a pause. They sat in silence for another moment, each contemplating very pressing thoughts, until the door swung open again and a beaming Wayne stepped through the door. 

“Ethan says I’m free as a bird,” he cheered the moment he entered. “If you’re ready to go, Siluka, I’d be glad to walk you back.”

“Yes.”

He let her walk on her own down the hill, asking her questions about the weather in Lulukoko, how the cafe was faring, if she’d tried the tincture recommended on page 46 of the current issue of _Mystic Monthly_. She asked him about his dreams, both last night and for the future. By the time they reached her hometown, they’d both forgotten why he was walking her in the first place, and when he dropped her off at her house, he gave a three-fingered salute and was halfway to the bonfire before he turned back running. “Miz Siluka,” he said to her, surprising her with her hand on the door. “Miz Siluka, forgive me—I was talkin’ so much I didn’t even wish you well.”

“I wish you well, too, Wayne.”

“Take a nap in a safer place, all right?” He brushed the brim of his hat and glance downwards, at her sandals. “And wear a hat next time you come up to Westown, all right?”

“All right,” she agreed, and headed inside. Iluka pounced upon her the second the door shut. 

“Was that Wayne with you? You were actually spending the day with him?”

Siluka gave her a smile bordering as smug as she ever got. “He told me to wear a hat next time I saw him,” she said, folding her hands in front of her and swaying slightly.

Iluka shrieked in delight and wrapped her sister up in her arms, grilling her for details the rest of the daylight hours to the point that Siluka forgot to nap. When Holly knocked and entered with a delivery from Tsuyukusa, they clammed up.

“What’s all this?” Holly greeted them from behind her armful of pretty-patterned packaging. “Could hear you two giggling from down the road!”

The sisters slid a look at each other. “It’s a secret,” Siluka spoke for Iluka.

“Yeah, that’s right, a secret! You’ll have to do better to figure it out!”

Holly laughed, taking the teasing well. “All right, I get it, I get it. Here’s something from Moriya, Iluka.”

As much as Siluka hoped otherwise, of course, it _was_ a secret. She didn’t want anyone to know, didn’t want to tell. She wanted to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted, to hoard it, selfishly, to bottle up the warmth and keep it from the Westown girls as long as she could. 

 

 

 

 


	3. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re like the sun,” she said seriously, unable to read the tone in his voice. “Being near you makes me warm and brightens my day.”

Once, when Siluka brushed a beetle off Wayne’s back, he’d shuddered, then flinched away from her touch. She’d leaned in to examine his face better, worried she’d hurt him or that the bug had bothered him, but he was biting his lip, not looking at her. It was uncharacteristically rude, but this close, she could see something different in his usually-sunny aura that she was now accustomed to ignoring. There was a lining of dark, dirty gray. The moment she’d realized was also the moment he turned back to her with a smile, the beetle on his outstretched finger. The gray retreated, but it still shot out little beams of dull light against the backdrop of his yellow aura. 

The next time she saw him was when Holly was eating at the cafe. Siluka smiled at him when he walked up the ramp, feeling the sunny day invigorate her, and although he started to smile when he caught sight of her, it froze on his face when she moved to greet him and Holly’s munching figure became visible. The gray undercurrent that hadn’t quite gone away spiked; he didn’t look at Holly, and Holly didn’t look at him. 

_Oh._

Siluka had thought, once, that she’d been envious of his fans, the club that got to bask in his sunlight every day. She’d enjoyed the secret, the quiet pleasure of knowing Wayne was her friend, her true friend, to share common interests and idle conversation with, and that his easy compliments to the fans, while coveted, meant little to her. 

Holly had shared the same secret. Once? Still? Siluka squinted at her, but the emerald green glow around the farmer didn’t betray her memories. Wayne had been saying something to her in the meanwhile. What had he been saying?

“—hope you have a swell rest of your day, Siluka.”

Siluka slowly turned her head away from staring at Holly. “You’re leaving already?”

Wayne tipped his hat slightly. “I just came by to say howdy. Got some more deliveries to make before the sun says good night.”

The sun beat high and hot on her back, her head just a little sweaty under her braids. His sunlight sparked, flashed, jumped, bright yellow beams mixed with muddled gray years away from fading. “The sun will be back tomorrow,” she said, instead of contradicting him.

“And so will I. G’day, Siluka.” 

And he was gone, gray filtering out of his light with each step, back turned to her, to Holly, who was still eating her cake and smoothie, to Iluka, who had watched the whole exchange in unusual silence. 

“He left awfully fast, didn’t he?” Iluka whispered a little too loudly once Siluka brought Holly’s empty plate to the counter. Her eyes flitted to the farmer when Siluka only “hmm”ed in response, but Holly was already chatting to Caolila in front of the communal fish traps and didn’t notice. “Don’t take it personally, little sister, okay? It looked like a Holly thing, something that had nothing to do with you.”

“His aura…” Siluka began, then caught herself. It was such a personal thing, sometimes, revealing what she could see in people’s light. Iluka had always understood this, but then again, Siluka had usually told her what she saw in private, their shared knowledge of the uncanny and the arcane creating an unspoken pact. But this, this smudge of gray in Wayne’s brightness, it was something truly secret. She couldn’t let Iluka know. She couldn’t let _Wayne_ know she knew. And she couldn’t let Holly know Wayne was still hurting, not when Holly was less than three yards away. 

“What about it?” 

But Siluka pretended to be thinking deeply, as she often did, forcing her eyes to focus on some unseen point beyond her sister’s head and glaze over, until Iluka sighed and gave up. 

“You should check in with him later,” she said instead. Siluka snapped to attention. “He’s your friend, you know? You should make sure he’s okay.”

“He said he’s busy today. And tomorrow’s the Trilympics.”

Iluka shrugged and began scrubbing Holly’s dish in the counter sink. “You’re an adult, Siluka. You don’t have to listen to me.” Siluka bristled and was ready to scold her sister for such passive-aggressive tactics, but Iluka sighed again and put the now-clean plate to the side, reaching for the dirty glass next. “E kala mai. I meant to say that you know Wayne better than I do. You know what would be the right way to make him happy.”

“Excuse me?” A customer from Tsuyukusa lifted his hand from the table near the back. When the sisters turned towards him, he winked and waved his menu. “I’m ready to order.”

Iluka rolled her eyes away from the man’s view, and Siluka dragged her feet over to listen to his flirting in between requests for three banana shakes.

Siluka had trouble sleeping once they got home, a fact which Iluka complained about in the morning: “I don’t think _I_ got any sleep, either!” But they trudged their way to Tsuyukusa for the festival, although Siluka’s mind was foggily distracted by thoughts of emeralds and gray sunshine.

Ludus was waiting for them when they staggered to the festival grounds. “You two look like the dead,” he greeted them without any trace of apology in his voice.

“That’s no way to treat ladies,” Iluka sniffed, but Ludus boomed a nice-sounding belly laugh.

“You’re ohana. I’m just being helpful. You should sleep more. Well,” he added as Siluka used her finger to trace the path of a butterfly flapping its papery wings around her head, “maybe just you, Iluka.”

“She was the one keeping me up!” Iluka accused her, jabbing a finger Siluka’s way. Siluka blinked.

Ludus furrowed his brows and looked at her, really looked at her. “Something on your mind, little sister? That’s not like you.”

Siluka slid her gaze to Iluka, hoping her annoyance showed in the one glance. Ludus had grown up and into his role as her big brother. While that had been a source of comfort for both her and Iluka, now was most certainly not the time for Iluka to be spilling secrets about boys.

Iluka just made a face at her.

“Are you going to join our team, Ludus?” Siluka asked instead of confronting her sister. Ludus quirked his previously-furrowed eyebrow.

“Did you hear me?”

Siluka blinked, playing dumb. It usually worked.

“Hmm.” To her immense relief, Ludus changed the subject, though he didn’t look to have bought her act. “I’m going to join Holly and the Tsuyukusa guys. They have a better layout of the land for the whatever-those-things-are hunt, so I probably stand a better chance with them.”

“Rudus Ludus!” Iluka teased, and he groaned.

“You two left me alone last season. It’s high time I made friends.”

“We’re your friends!”

“You’re ohana, like I said.”

While Iluka and Ludus enjoyed their bickering, Siluka felt Wayne’s presence some feet away. She followed, blindly, until she nearly tripped over a small foot. A redheaded boy whom she did not know peered up at her through fine eyelashes. He stepped away, then greeted her with a meek, “Howdy,” as if to make up for sidestepping her.

Siluka waved. “Aloha.” She nodded at Wayne, standing next to the boy. “Are you two going to win?”

“Oh,” said the boy, voice squeaking a little. “Well, I—“

“You bet your flower crown we are,” Wayne cheered. “Isn’t that right, Colin?”

“Y-yeah!” the boy, apparently named Colin, cheered right back, drawing energy from Wayne’s sunny disposition. “We’re gonna win f-first prize!” Wayne winked at him, nodding, and Colin flushed with pleasure.

“You’re both really gonna win, huh?” Colin’s aura was a lovely yellowy green, and he looked at his shoes when he whispered yes, his friend Noel would help. “Can I join your team? I’m Siluka.”

Wayne nudged the boy, who piped up, “If you would be so kind as to do me the honor, Miz Siluka!” Colin immediately looked up at Wayne for approval, and Wayne did that conspiratorial nod again. Colin beamed.

“The honor is mine, Mr. Colin.”

Iluka pouted at her from across the field when Siluka searched for her, but she was in a group with Alma, the flower girl from Westown, and the quiet teacher from Tsuyukusa, so it really couldn’t have been such bad company. Ludus had abandoned them, as promised, and was starting a team cheer with his Tsuykusa friends and Holly. 

A little girl in a yellow dress barreled up to them, presumably Colin’s friend Noel, and shortly after she made her introductions to Siluka without much prodding from Wayne, the Daruma Hunt began.

While they waited their turn, Noel and Colin chattered at each other so rapidly Siluka couldn’t hope to follow the conversation. At one point, Noel grabbed Colin’s hand to emphasize what she was saying, and the boy turned so red, Siluka was surprised the pink team didn’t scoop him up as a hidden daruma.

“D’ya think Colin likes her?” Wayne whispered in her ear all of a sudden. His breath tickled against the back of her neck, her hair whisking about her cheek. She shivered. “He just lights up when she’s around. I reckon she could say anything in the world to him and he’d be just plain riveted.”

Siluka turned her head slightly to meet him face to face and nodded, smiling slightly. He widened his eyes and swallowed.

“Purple team, yer up next! You have half an hour to find the most purple daruma ya can!” Ginjiro called.

Noel and Colin took off immediately, holding hands, little puffs of Tsuykusa grass scattering behind them. Wayne brushed the brim of his hat. “Well, shall we?”

Siluka’s sandals pinched her toes while they ran, but they set off around the northern side of town scooping up purple daruma into their baskets as best they could. 

“I’m going to look over there,” Siluka told Wayne, pointing in the general direction of the bridge to Westown. He made a noise of assent, too intent on scooping up a pile of four purples to notice. She made her way to the benches near the water, sure she had seen a flash of purple. 

There it was! Nestled into the corner of the spa was a gathering of seven— _seven_ —daruma, all purple. They looked like they were having an important meeting. She knelt and, settling her basket in her lap, reached for one. 

A white hand brushed her fingers, then pulled back in surprise. Wayne had materialized around the corner, on one knee to pick up the little dolls. They were nearly nose to nose, beside the spa.

His aura was so bright, as yellow as the sun and twice as hard to look at. No trace of gray now. She leaned closer just a hair, struggling to understand why it wasn’t gray now, like yesterday; struggling to resist the urge to be like every other woman in his fan club; struggling not to close the distance—

“You always look at me like that.” His voice was just above a murmur. She flicked her eyes up to his face. His eyes were blue and dark. She could fall into them, the deep part of the ocean present in his slow blink. “Like you’re tryin’ to divine my secrets, like some mind-reader in our magazine. What’re you tryin’ to know about me, sweetheart?”

He’d called her that once before, during the beetle incident. The insect on his outstretched finger had suddenly flown off, and she’d jumped like a spooked horse, he said. “I would’ve protected you, sweetheart,” he’d howled with laughter, and the tense moment when she’d grazed his back with her nails had passed. 

Siluka looked at him now, hoping the same promise of protection could be read in her own eyes. “You’re like the sun,” she said seriously, unable to read the tone in his voice. “Being near you makes me warm and brightens my day.”

Silence, and then Wayne’s inhale came sharp and sudden. His hat brushed the edge of her forehead, then he pulled back and scratched his head hidden under the brim. He didn’t say anything. The way his free hand covered his mouth made it seem like he was trying to hide his face from her.

“Did I say something wrong?” Siluka asked, her heart plummeting into the pit of her stomach. What was this reaction, hers and his? She leaned towards him. His aura was changing, but her heart was pounding too hard with nerves to focus.

“No, no,” he was saying, and he pulled his hand away from his mouth. He grinned at her, a half-smile showing some of his teeth, and rested his hand on his knee. “It’s not that I don’t like that. It’s just when you’re this close, uh, my heart rate starts goin’ up.”

Her own heartbeat was so loud. Her stomach unknotted itself. She inclined her head his direction, unsure of what she was doing. She wanted to touch him. Wayne was just staring, staring, staring, the smile fading from his face to something more calm, more serious. The fingers on his knee fluttered, then his wrist twitched, and he lifted the whole hand off his knee, palm slightly tilted, like he could hold something. The sun behind him blinded her for a moment, but then a shadow appearing by the corner soothed her eyes.

“Your team’s turn is up,” Zahau rumbled. Wayne pulled back like he’d been burned and whirled around, half-squatting. It was funny, and Siluka laughed, loud and without covering her mouth. “Time to go count up your stuff and let me and my beautiful wife’s team show you how it’s really done.”

Wayne nodded maybe a few times more than he needed to and got to his feet. Siluka brushed the dirt off her knees and stood as well. Zahau clapped a fatherly hand on her shoulder when she passed by him, but before she could say anything, he was calling across town to Caolila that he’d found some more red dolls.

It was too late to collect their pile of seven purple daruma. Wayne held out his hand to her, and she took it. They walked the rest of the way back to the festival grounds in silence, her hand lightly held, their fingers barely touching.

They were ready to lose, and Noel chided them something fierce for disappearing on her and Colin, and while Siluka had expected Holly and Ludus to win, she didn’t expect to see the gray gone from Wayne’s aura. She didn’t expect to see him looking at her instead, refusing to look away with a somber but peaceful expression smoothing out any tension in his face. Not looking at Holly with hardness in his heart. Looking at Siluka, instead.

Then again, she had been looking at him instead of the prize ceremony, hadn’t she?

She pretended it was also no surprise when, towards the end of the season, he came to her house while Iluka was at the shrine and presented her with a bouquet of beach vitex and calla lily that he’d picked himself. “For the Flower Festival,” he’d said, visibly fighting the urge to look away from her. His blue irises flicked back and forth from her ear to her nose to her other ear to her mouth. “It’s this nice Westown tradition of—of givin’ flowers to people who’re important to ya. And…and you’re a real special gal to me, Siluka. You’re sweet, an’ fun to talk to, an’ real—you’re a good person,” he sputtered. He finally placed the bouquet in her hands, “if you’d be so good as to accept them, but I won’t hold ya to it,” and looked down at his boots.

Siluka didn’t understand what the big deal was, but it obviously meant a lot to Wayne, and Wayne meant a lot to her. “Mahalo,” she said, her voice soft and the words almost impossible to be heard. “Mahalo,” she said again when Wayne obviously hadn’t caught it, still looking at his boots. “Wayne, look at me,” she insisted, and his head shot up so quickly it was a wonder he kept his hat on. Siluka smiled at him and clutched the bouquet close to her heart. “I’m always looking at you. It’s nice to have you look at me this way, too.” She stepped forward and hugged him with one arm, careful not to crush the flowers. His arm wrapped around her tightly, automatically. She peered up at him, but she couldn’t see his face from this angle.”This is what you do in Westown, right?”

She could feel Wayne’s laugh in her hair, and then he released her. “That it sure is,” he agreed. “I’m—I’m right glad you liked the flowers.”

Siluka bit her tongue, feeling all sorts of silliness rising, ridiculous things to say. She buried her face in the bouquet and inhaled the sunshine and sweetness to hide her smile. Wayne smiled, too, a relieved thing, she thought. He wished her good day and left. But he looked over his shoulder as he did, and more than once, too.

Iluka looked like she wanted to question the sudden appearance of the flower-filled vase on their kitchen counter, but Siluka hummed to herself and gave her enough affectionate hugs to convince her sister that everything was as it should be.


	4. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How could she have said that? Out loud? She didn’t usually comment on things like that, and certainly not to Wayne of all people.

It was always nicer to spend the chillier months in good company. In previous years, sometimes Ludus would let her nap in his room while he sewed, the _click click click_ of his machine and his humming lulling her into cozy sleep. More recently, Holly had come by with hot chai, endearing herself to Iluka. It wasn’t the season for Siluka’s favorite cold drinks anymore, but she could easily fall asleep on the couch to the sound of Iluka and Holly laughing and chatting. 

One such autumn day, Holly came by when Iluka was at the shrine, and Siluka told her so, that Iluka likely wouldn’t be back until late. But Holly shook her head, aura flashing a farmer’s colors of earthy brownish-green.. “I came to see you, Siluka. It's been a while since we really talked.”

“Mm. Do you want something to drink? We have…” Siluka took a look in the icebox. “…water. And juice.”

“I’d love some water.”

She took the pitcher out and poured them each a glass at the kitchen table. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Holly looked deep in thought, her fingers wiping the condensation off her glass, but all Siluka could think of was gray sunshine. Holly’s eyes strayed to _Mystic Monthly_ lying open on the counter, and Siluka remembered.

“I never said mahalo,” she said. “For subscribing me. I hope it’s not too expensive. I can pay for it next year.”

“It’s no problem, Siluka,” Holly said cheerfully. “It’s not that bad. I’m glad to have introduced you to it.”

“Why did you?” Siluka asked, gripping her own cup tightly as she took a sip. “Why did you introduce me to it?”

Holly looked away then, a sheepish smile curling her lips. “I thought it would give you and Wayne something to talk about.”

Siluka set the cup on the table with too much force. Holly jumped in her chair. “You didn’t think I could talk to him on my own?”

“That’s not what I—“

“Everyone thinks I’m spacey,” Siluka interrupted, her voice level and quiet. “I know I get distracted. I’m usually thinking about a lot of things, paying attention to my thoughts instead of what’s going on around me. Maybe that’s not a good thing. But I’m not…weak, Holly. I do things differently from other people, that’s all.”

Holly’s mouth was a circle, her expression frozen, embarrassed. 

Siluka took a deep breath. “Maybe I’m being ungrateful. Because of _Mystic Monthly_ , Wayne and I…” She trailed off, remembering, then shook her head and forced herself back into the present. “He's important to me. And that’s because of you. I know that. What did you come to talk to me about?”

Holly didn’t say anything, fixing her gaze on her glass. “I wanted to get to know you better,” she said softly. “I haven’t spent as much time in Lulukoko as I have in Tsuyukusa, or…or Westown.”

“You and Yuzuki are happy, though. It makes sense that you’d know Tsuyukusa better.”

Holly nodded several times.

“Were you and Wayne ever…happy?” The question rolled out of Siluka’s mouth uncertainly, but she had to know, she had to hear, she had to _know_.

“Once,” Holly said instantly, and Siluka held her breath to keep a sudden spike of pain in her heart inside. Then, the other woman drooped. “No,” she continued. “I don’t know if we were. I think our friendship was always…full of expectations. We were playing at friendship. But we weren’t right for each other, not…that way. And there was no going back because there wasn’t any real friendship to go back to.” Holly’s inhale sounded shaky even to Siluka’s ears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any harm by signing you up for the magazine. I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how.”

Unwelcome guilt stabbed Siluka’s stomach. “E kala mai,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to pry. Maybe there really is something strange about me.”

Holly surprised her by laughing, a slight hiccuping sound. “I think you’re acting perfectly normal.” Before Siluka could figure out what the farmer meant, she went on. “Maybe there was some jealousy on my part, too, wanting to talk to you today. Perhaps this conversation was something I’d hoped for, something I needed. But I really did want to talk to you. I’ve lived here for a few years, now, and it’s my own fault for not making the effort.”

Siluka smiled and refilled Holly’s hardly-touched water glass. A peace offering. “So let’s talk.”

After some awkward maneuvering, the conversation swerved in other directions: Holly’s farm, news from the neighboring towns, news in Lulukoko, and, once Iluka showed up later, some friendly gossip. Holly left in better spirits than she had entered, her aura more cheerfully emerald, and Siluka took a restorative nap shortly after she’d gone, hoping to cleanse her body and mind from all negativity. The next time Holly came by with chai for Iluka, she shyly offered Siluka a basket of blueberries, and the time after that, Siluka greeted her with steamed milk. The other times blended together frequently enough that Siluka couldn’t keep track of their gifts any longer.

Fall was also a good season to spend time with Wayne. There were more deliveries to make, bountiful season as it was, but that only meant he stopped in Lulukoko with exotic produce more often than he ever had. He ate at the cafe more often, and last week, he had asked Siluka if she would like to join his weekly card game in Westown. She’d said no, that she had no experience playing cards of any sort, and while he’d laughed it off, she recognized his disappointment by the way his shoulders went all tight.

She took it upon herself the following week to teach herself the suits after that. _Mystic Monthly_ , fortunately, proved invaluable, and once she was satisfied that she had a grasp on even the strange ones, she made the trek to Westown that weekend. She’d put on her best dress, the lighter blue one that Iluka always said made her eyes glow, and a gauzy shawl for the Westown autumnal chill.

 Siluka threw open the doors to the restaurant like she knew some people did in movies, stalked over to the table, where the restaurant owner, Ford, Wayne, and Colin’s dad were staring with unabashedly open mouths, and sat down next to her friend with a definitive plop. “I’m here to play cards,” she announced, and before anyone could object, whipped her deck out and slammed it on the table. “Who’s going to shuffle?”

For a moment, there was silence. Brad’s mouth was still open, his eyes still wide, chef’s hat askew on his head. Ford was rubbing his forehead, brows furrowed. Hector crossed his arms. Siluka cast her gaze around the table, no one daring to say a word. 

Finally, Wayne cleared his throat. “Siluka, I’m real pleased you joined us an’ all,” he began, and Siluka’s eyes darted to meet his. A smile ghosted over his face when their eyes met. “But there’s just, uh, there’s just one thing. You got a set of tarot cards, darlin’. And we’re, uh, we’re playin’ poker.”

“You said we were playing cards,” Siluka insisted, fanning out her deck. “You didn’t say poker. I brought cards.” Wayne looked around the table for support.

“If you only referred to ‘cards,’ Wayne,” the doctor spoke up, “then this confusion is entirely your doing. You might as well explain.” He sighed when Wayne looked aghast. 

“I can’t just _embarrass_ —“

“For the lady’s sake.” Ford adjusted his glasses and looked away after coughing once. Siluka watched in bewildered silence.

That seemed to get through to Wayne, who straightened up in his chair. “Right. Siluka, this here’s a gamblin’ game. I’m right glad you looked into cards; it really brightens my mood.” She was expecting a wink, but to her surprise, he’d covered his mouth with his hand and took a few seconds to himself. 

During the interlude, Hector grunted. “Are we gonna sit here blushin’ or are we gonna give Miz Siluka’s game a go?”

“It’s—well, Hector, it’s sorta like an oracle. It ain’t quite a ‘game,’ ya see.”

“Miz Siluka taught herself how to do it, then?”

“I think I’d like to have my fortune told,” Brad piped up. His wife, Carrie, showed up with a bottle of cider and glasses, and Brad slid his arm around her waist while she placed the tray on the table.

“Brad!”

“Isn’t that right, honey? D’ya want the little lady from Lulukoko to read our fortune?”

“Oh!” Carrie beamed. “Oh, that would be so fun!”

“Well, Wayne?” Ford raised an eyebrow at his friend, who looked appalled for the second time.

“It ain’t _my_ decision. Siluka’s right here.” All eyes turned to Siluka, who blinked back at them, slightly embarrassed.

“I’m still learning,” she confessed. “But I’d be glad to read someone’s tarot.”

“Us first!” Brad whooped, and Siluka handed him the cards to shuffle.

Everyone took a turn, Siluka staring at every card as it was drawn before giving each person a reading. Brad and Carrie cooed over theirs in the corner, excited at the prospect of “a new change in your life” and “you should look at things from a different angle,” and even Hector cracked a smile when Siluka told him to expect “gratitude where he did not think to find it.” Ford poured himself a glass of cider instead of answering whether he wanted his tarot read. When Siluka turned to Wayne, however, she was surprised when he declined, too.

“I’m not sure I want my secrets laid bare in front of my dearest friends,” he explained, winking at her. Brad and Carrie were still cooing, pestering Ford for not wanting to join in on the fun, and Hector was busying himself with whittling under the table. Wayne glanced around at the table, then lowered his voice. “I’m confident you don’t need no tarot to learn anythin’ about me.”

Siluka giggled, bright peals of laughter that drew her new friends’ attention to her, and squeezed his hand.

When, a bottle of cider later, everyone agreed it was time to go home, Wayne insisted on walking her at least to the crossroads. Siluka protested it was too far for him, which he countered that if it was far for him, it was certainly too far for it to be polite to let her walk alone. 

“I’ll be fine, Wayne,” she said outside the restaurant. Hector was long gone, and Ford had gone home, as well. No one was there to dismiss Wayne’s silly concerns over propriety. He looked about to protest again, but Siluka grabbed his hand before he could open his mouth. Taking the tips of his fingers in hers, she brought his hand to her lips and pressed a quick kiss against his knuckles. She released him then, expecting his hand to fall, but Wayne immediately cupped the side of her face. His thumb stroked her cheekbone. A distant part of Siluka was aware she wasn’t breathing enough, but Wayne’s gaze was hypnotic and serious as he considered her, still stroking.

The window shutters from the second floor slammed open, and Brad poked his head out. “Are y’all still not off my property?” he yelled good-naturedly and maybe a little drunkenly. “Wayne, your house is _literally_ right down them stairs!”

She’d never seen Wayne turn so red so quickly before. He dropped his hand and hid it behind his back like he’d done something wrong, and Siluka took the opportunity to hop down the stairs and head home before he could object, or before something else could happen.

On the walk home, Siluka realized that, while she didn’t know what, exactly, this “something else” was, she knew it was hinting at happening a lot more frequently than it used to. She already knew Wayne was important to her, and she had begun to suspect that the way she felt about him was shifting. An insecurity, a fear that she couldn’t quite name, still lingered. But these… _events_ , whatever they meant, were starting to soothe these discomforts. Siluka didn’t know what she was wishing would happen when they were alone together. She did know, however, that she _wanted_ it to happen.

There were moments, little moments, when they would catch each other at the cafe or about town and stop to chat. Moments where his bright aura would send sunbursts jumping when he laughed, but those had always been there. What stuck out were the moments of silence. For all that Wayne accused her of staring too intimately at him, he certainly seemed to look at her much the same way.

When Siluka approached him as he made his Lulukoko rounds during the Fruit Fiesta, she fell back into the old habit of staring. Wayne had jogged over to her when he’d caught sight of her with a huge smile on his face, but she didn’t remember to match the expression, too keen on figuring out what was different today. She gripped the basket in her hands and leaned towards him, searching, and when the silence following his “Howdy” stretched on too long, Siluka didn’t notice.

“Uh,” Wayne dared to say, and when she snapped out of it, she was surprised to notice his cheeks coloring. “Is there—what’s—“

It dawned on her. “Pink,” she blurted out, then immediately covered her mouth with the basket. How could she have said that? Out loud? She didn’t usually comment on things like that, and certainly not to Wayne of all people.

“I, uh, I beg your pardon?” Wayne swiped a self conscious hand over his face. “Pink what?”

“Your…” Siluka swallowed, suddenly nervous. “Your aura. It’s usually…” How to describe it? How to put into words the sunlight that had shone into her life, that had made her feel so indescribably fuzzy and warm this year, the very essence of his life radiating into her soul? “Yellow.”

“But now it’s pink?” Wayne laughed, a self-conscious sound. “I didn’t know you could read them. Been a real diligent student of _Mystic Monthly_ , huh? What does pink mean?”

Siluka felt heat rise to her own cheeks. Affection. Sensual things. Creativity. A whole host of meanings she’d learned to guess from the way people around her lived their lives. And…

“Here,” she said, thrusting the basket to him. He glanced down at it, his mouth open and bewildered. “For the Fruit Fiesta. I think it’s like the flower one you have in Westown.”

Wayne took the basket without saying another word and lifted the lid. Deep red strawberries glistened in the afternoon sunlight, heaps and piles of them filling up the container almost to the point of overflowing. She’d had to be careful putting the top on. 

“Siluka…”

“But I’m only giving them to you so we can share them,” Siluka interrupted, looking at her sandals. They were a little scuffed. She thought about asking Ludus if he had a clothing magazine she could borrow.

“You like strawberries, huh?” She could hear the smile in Wayne’s voice.

“I love them. So you should share them with me.”

He laughed then, sparkles of yellow shooting out of his _pink_ , _very bright pink_ aura. “I can’t say no to the pleasure of your company. But I gotta finish my rounds, first.”

Siluka nodded and finally looked at him. He wasn’t meeting her eyes, but the smile curling his lips was a beautiful, shy thing to see. She relaxed and felt her own grin nearly crack her face. “I’ll hold onto them until then,” she decided, reaching out, and when he placed the basket in her hands, their fingers brushed. A breeze twirled the loose strands of hair coming out of her braids, and she shivered. 

“It’s a date,” Wayne said, but he didn’t wink when he met her gaze. Her heart stuttered in her chest. He tipped his hat and nodded. “So long, Siluka. I’ll catch ya later and share those strawberries with you. And…thank you.”

Siluka couldn’t help smiling the rest of the day, her thoughts buzzing as she swept the porch and bought groceries on the beach and brushed Iluka’s hair. When evening rolled around and Wayne met her on the deck of her cafe, her thoughts and heart raced even faster.

They sat, dangling their legs over the edge of the deck, passing the strawberry basket back and forth. Wayne told her about the delivery he’d made to the old woman who had only opened the door a crack to receive her suspiciously heavy parcel and then had tipped him, which no one ever did. Siluka told him about the free bananas she’d received from the fruit store, and how she and Iluka planned to make way too much banana bread once they’d ripened further.

When the strawberries were all gone and the first stars were peeking out behind the clouds, she became aware of a hand gently stroking her back. Siluka blinked open her eyes which she hadn’t realized had closed and groggily lifted her head off Wayne’s shoulder. The hand retreated, and Wayne’s smile was bright in the darkness, the moonlit waves reflected in his eyes.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said quietly, and his pink aura flared to life in time with her heartbeat speeding up.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” she explained, but he only chuckled and shook his head.

“It’s gettin’ late. I didn’t mean to keep you out so long.”

Siluka tried to dismiss his concern, but her yawn replaced any protests. He laughed again, less quietly this time.

“I’d best be off. Let me walk you home ‘fore I go.”

She couldn’t object to so kind an offer. When he slipped his hand in hers as they walked down the ramp, she squeezed lightly, hoping, and he squeezed back. The chilly autumn air kept them walking close together, hand in hand, uncertain and nervous and silent. 

“Good night,” Siluka whispered, standing with one hand on her doorknob. 

“Good night,” Wayne said, equally softly. They looked at each other, contemplating, leaning forward, but Wayne’s pink aura spiked again and he turned and left with a wave.

Pink, she thought when she slipped into bed next to Iluka. His aura was pink.

 


	5. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I should go home,” she whispered, clutching her yogurt jar.
> 
> Wayne observed her with dark eyes, chest rising and falling a little quickly before he agreed, “Yes, you should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a doozy of a final chapter, as is my habit. settle in a comfy chair.
> 
> This is the end of this story, but it's not the end of Wayne/Siluka here at Nenalata Fanfic Inc! Keep hangin' around the Trio of Towns new stories page if you can't get enough of sweet, sweet cowboy lovin'.

Siluka tapped her foot against the floor, a staccato rhythm that did not relent even when Iluka returned from the shrine and complained she could hear the noise from outside. “I thought you’d left the faucet running again.”

“Wayne was supposed to be here by now,” Siluka rattled off. Iluka took a step back, as if the rapid-fire blast of Siluka’s uncharacteristically speedy speech had propelled her back with violence. “I’d go look for him but then the coffee will get cold and ordinarily I wouldn’t be worried because I know he’s busy but it snowed yesterday and the Westown stairs must be so slippery and he has a package for me.”

Iluka braced herself against the doorframe, and when Siluka’s tapping food only sped up, she ventured a question. “He has a package for you?”

“New shoes. And,” Siluka pulled a braid in front of her face, “maybe he has a Valentine’s Day gift for me.”

Iluka only hummed in agreement, taking off her own shoes and dusting them off. Siluka gaped from behind her braids, and after pounding the sandals against the wall a few times, Iluka snapped her gaze to her sister’s. 

“What?”

“You don’t…I said he might have a present for me.”

“What’s the big deal?” Iluka snorted, bustling into the kitchen and prodding a plate of chocolate cookies. “It’s not like you don’t have a present for him.”

Siluka tottered closer, hands behind her back. “You’re not—mad?”

“Siluka, I have wasted all my rage on those creepy dudes in town who gave us enough Valentines’s Day presents to feed all three towns, okay? Wayne’s not that creepy. And he makes you happy.” When Siluka continued to stare, Iluka rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a cowboy to worry about? He’s still not here. Maybe he did fall.”

Siluka squeaked, grabbed the plate of cookies, and began zooming towards the exit. Iluka hastily poured the cup of steaming mocha into a travel mug and thrust it into her hands seconds before she slammed open the door.

“Please be careful!” Siluka heard her sister call as she scurried across the bridge. The winter winds of Tsuyukusa barreled her through town, and it didn’t seem like much time had passed before the nippier air of Westown greeted her and her prickling fingers clutching cookies and coffee to her chest.

Siluka scanned the town for Ford and perhaps a team of medics huddled over a fallen form, but she supposed she wasn’t surprised to see—and hear—a horde of Westown women descending upon the post office. She took a deep breath, prepared herself, and headed up the stairs to the general store.

“Oh, honey,” Noel’s mother, whose name escaped her, greeted Siluka with a sigh when the door chime jingled. “I saw you make your way here, bless your heart. You’re Wayne’s friend, ain’t that right?”

Siluka’s shoulders drooped, the travel mug and plate heavy in her arms. “I don’t know how I’m going to reach him through that crowd,” she admitted. “But I wanted to make sure he’s okay.”

“Oh, that Wayne!” Noel’s mother tsked. “I swear I don’t know what he was thinkin’ today. It’s bad each year, sure, but it’s never been _this_ bad. If I were him, I woulda holed up at Megan’s and Hector’s place! No one’d think to look for him there!”

“Is Miz Siluka lookin’ for Wayne?” a familiar voice squeaked from the stairs. Siluka shifted the presents in her arms and saw Noel and Colin peeking through the railing. Noel beamed at her. “I knew you’d come! Golly, am I glad you’re gonna brave all those screamin’ ladies to get to yer man!”

The girl’s mother started to protest, but Siluka fixed Noel with a fierce look, nodding solemnly. 

“You’ll never make it,” Colin piped up, then hid behind Noel’s back as if astounded his own voice had spoken. “Sorry, Miz Siluka, I just—there’s just a lot of people all lookin’ for him. They get kinda angry this time of year, and I don’t think they’ll want to let anyone pass.”

 “She won’t get there with _that_ attitude!” Noel cried, bounding down the stairs. Colin tottered uncertainly after her. “I have an idea! Colin and I can run ahead—no one’ll pay attention to us, we’re kids. Then we can toot that old train whistle—“

“You most certainly will not,” Miranda—that was her name—commanded. “That decrepit thing could fall around your ears any second.”

“But _Mama—“_

“Noel.”

Siluka’s eyes darted from Miranda, to Noel’s pouting lips, to a sly twinkle in Colin’s eyes. “I have a b-better idea,” Colin ventured. “Well, it’s not better than yours, Noel. It’s just safer. I’m pretty s-small, and if I run outside and Noel shouts that I’m sick—“

“And Colin can pretend to get sick everywhere!” Noel cheered. “Everyone’ll rush to take care of him, and then Miz Siluka can go get her man!”

Siluka turned to face Miranda, who was busying herself with organizing bolts of cloth. “Well, as long as it isn’t that old train,” she muttered, not really paying attention. Noel and Colin hurrahed and were racing out the door almost before Siluka could remember to follow.

Once outside, the children nodded at each other and, instead of playing sick, took off again and disappeared into the crowd. Siluka couldn’t be bothered to follow, the bitter wind whipping at her braids. The coffee was probably cold by now. 

Leagues of hair pulled tight in buns, aprons flowing in the winter breeze, at least two dozen Westown women chattering amongst themselves. It seemed almost like a sport to them, one they didn’t expect to win. Siluka was willing to bet the fun was more in the chase, and in the socializing with other ladies their age obsessed with the same man. Did any of them even _know_ Wayne?

Did Wayne know any of them? Siluka bundled the cookies and travel mug in her arms and cast a curious look over the crowd. She didn’t know any of these ladies’ names.

_CHOO-CHOO!_

A train whistle bellowed from only a few yards away, and Siluka cringed. On the other side of the road, a rusty old train sat on equally rusty tracks. Noel and Colin’s gleeful faces peeked out of the window. Wayne’s fans screamed and babbled at each other, some of them scattering away from the train and the post office. A path cleared in front of Siluka, and she stared at it.

_CHOO-CHOO!_

The crowd dispersed further, and Siluka ambled her way past the fleeing women and straight up to the post office stoop. She cast a quick look around her, searching for any jealous girls ready to attack, but most of the fans had gone. A few were cautiously approaching the train, but no one took notice of the girl from Lulukoko standing right on Wayne’s doorstep.

She turned back to the door and knocked very loudly. No answer, but that was to be expected. “Wayne,” she called, her voice too soft, then cleared her throat and called again. “Wayne, it’s me. It’s Siluka.”

_CHOO-CHOO!_

The door cracked open, and a blue eye peered at her through the gap. “Well, I’ll be,” Wayne’s muffled voice said under his breath, then rose in volume. “Siluka, I’ve never been so happy to see a woman on this day. Come in, quick, ‘fore they notice.”

Siluka hurried inside, another _CHOO-CHOO_ escorting her, and Wayne slammed the door shut behind her. A sigh escaped his lips, and she reached for his back to pat it, but he started speaking before she could comfort him.

“Don’t get me wrong, Siluka. It’s an honor to be so well-liked, it really is, and by so many lovely ladies. But yeesh, each year, it gets harder and harder to leave my house.”

_CHOO-CHOO!_

Wayne strode over to the kitchen window and yanked open the curtains. Siluka followed him in, uninvited, as he looked outside.

“What in all that is holy are those two kids doin’?” 

“Helping me save you,” Siluka said, hugging the treats to her chest as she glanced around Wayne’s room. It was warm and inviting, with a big comfy armchair by a well-stocked bookshelf, a table with one big chair nestled against the far wall, and a neatly-made bed with a woolen blanket in the corner. Photographs and painting prints covered most of the free surfaces and walls, and what clear space there could have been was taken up by dried flowers wrapped in twine or fresh flowers in vases.

“They’re gonna find themselves in a world of trouble. Hey, whaddya got there?” His boots clacked on the wooden floorboards.

Siluka turned around to answer and found herself inspecting the kitchen instead. They were nice curtains on the windows, but what caught her eye was the pot of coffee cooling on the stove. Her shoulders drooped; he’d already brewed himself some mocha.

_CHOO-CHOO!_

“Have mercy, that’s loud. What’ve you got there, Siluka?” A gentle hand on her back didn’t even manage to startle her. Siluka leaned a little into the hand, which slid up to her shoulder blade. Wayne’s palm was warm against her spine, but she resisted the urge to snuggle and turned to face him.

“I brought you sweets. But the coffee’s cold and you already have some.” Siluka puffed out her cheeks, failing to hide her disappointment. Wayne slid his hand from her back and lifted the cheesecloth on the plate in her arms. 

“Chocolate cookies?”

“And a mocha, but it’s gone cold by now.”

Wayne was looking at her in that way she always liked, a searching stare that made her stomach feel tingly. Siluka felt heat rise to her thawing cheeks, matching the pink of his aura.

“So you said.” He wiggled his hand under the cheesecloth, fingers fumbling unseen, breaking his gaze to focus on extracting a cookie. The intent way he set to his task for the sake of a cookie made Siluka smile. With a satisfied sound, he pulled one out and held it up triumphantly.

“I hope you like them, even though the mocha is cold.”

Wayne closed his eyes as he took a bite, humming in pleasure exaggeratedly when the cookie piece disappeared into his mouth. Siluka flicked her eyes to some distant point beyond his ear, suddenly feeling very warm in his room and wanting to avoid looking at his face.

“Delish.”

Siluka beamed, returning to look at him, and he offered her one of his sheepish smiles in exchange as he took the treats and set them on the kitchen counter.

“I got somethin’ for ya, too. I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to get on over to Lulukoko today, what with—“ He gestured to the window vaguely. Siluka nodded, somber. “Gimme a second.” Wayne pulled away from her, stuffing the remaining piece of cookie into his mouth, and began bustling about the kitchen. Siluka’s eyes trailed to the doorway, where a package just about the right size of a shoebox lay neatly wrapped.

“Here.” A small glass jar of yogurt was thrust in front of her. Siluka took it, confused. “It’s vanilla yogurt.” Wayne hesitated, rubbing the brim of his hat between two fingers. “For Valentine’s Day. I…wanted to get you something I knew you liked that wasn’t overly sweet.”

Siluka peered at him. “But you hate yogurt.”

Wayne cleared his throat, his eyes flitting over her face, her ear, her mouth. “I reckon I like you more than I hate yogurt.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Fingers gripping the yogurt jar a little too tightly, she lifted her chin. “You must like me an awful lot, then.”

He stepped closer, reaching for a stray hair by her ear. “Well, I—“

“Wayne, you get over here right now and explain to these youngsters why you’re such a bad influence on ‘em!” An unfamiliar voice bellowed through the post office, followed by squeaky, childish protests. Wayne and Siluka stared at each other in simultaneous understanding. The train had been quiet for far too long.

“‘Scuse me,” he mumbled, and Siluka stepped aside to let him pass through to the office. She peeked around the doorway to see Noel and Collin’s collars being held by an elderly man she didn’t recognize. He must have had a strong grip. Siluka hid against the wall and waited while the kids put up quite the valiant defense of their actions. The old man didn’t seem to notice her while Wayne apologized for his part, on behalf of the children, and even for the ladies causing the ruckus outside his home.

By the time Marco, as the old man was apparently named, had been satisfied with apologies all around and had dragged the children off, Siluka had sunk into the corner of Wayne’s room, half-asleep. The door closing jangled her awake. Wayne found her kneeling on the floor, more apologies on his lips, but Siluka rose and silenced him with a tight hug. She buried her face in the buttons on his shirt, drowsy and content, and when Wayne’s stroking her hair proved dangerously soporific, extracted herself from the embrace.

“I should go home,” she whispered, clutching her yogurt jar.

Wayne observed her with dark eyes, chest rising and falling a little quickly before he agreed, “Yes, you should.”

Siluka swallowed and reached for him. He caught her hand in surprisingly delicate fingers, pressed a kiss against her fingertips so fast she swore she’d imagined it were it not for the warmth and softness against her skin. “I’ll walk you home.”

And hand in hand, they walked back to Lulukoko together. An electric hum vibrated between them, an underlying current to their smalltalk and clasped hands. Maybe it had always been present. Maybe it was just the first time she’d noticed. They said quiet goodbyes at her door, and Siluka released her hand from his slower than she’d meant to.

 Iluka didn’t utter a word when her sister floated into their room without a plate or travel mug, but she did put the yogurt in the icebox with the rest of Siluka’s snacks. 

“Something changed,” Iluka accused her the next day, evidently unable to keep quiet for that long.

“No,” Siluka disagreed. “Everything’s as it’s always been.”

Her sister didn’t push the issue, and for that, Siluka was grateful. Nothing _had_ changed. Every smile, every flash of gold-pink-gold, every light touch didn’t change how she had always felt about Wayne. A light in her life.

“I gotta say, Siluka, it sure is nice stopping in Lulukoko when Westown winter is so bitter,” Wayne complained towards the end of the season. He rubbed his hands together over the bonfire, where he had stopped to warm up and chat with her during his afternoon break. Siluka grinned.

“It’s cold here, too. Cold enough that I can’t take a nap in my usual spot on the dock.”

Wayne laughed at that. “Would you hibernate all the way through a Westown winter, then?”

“Maybe,” Siluka acknowledged. “But I would get used to it eventually.”

They were quiet for some time after that, Wayne thawing his hands, Siluka trying out her dance routine in her new shoes. They still needed some breaking in.

“Say,” his voice was very casual, “it’s gonna be the Starry Night Festival in a few days.”

Siluka kept dancing. “Is that a Westown event?”

“Oh. Well. I reckon it is. I guess I just assumed the whole county did it.”

She pivoted, and her sandal strap cut into her skin. “No. What do you do?”

Wayne stopped rubbing his hands and shoved them into the pockets of his coat. He leaned back a little, regarding her. “Ya watch the stars.”

“Oh. That makes sense.”

He hesitated before replying. “With a girl.”

“Everyone watches with a girl?” Siluka stopped her dance to consider. That sounded nice. Iluka and Lisette would get along at such an event, she decided.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘no,’ exactly. But…I reckon I’d like to watch with a girl. I was wondering if you wanted to be that girl.”

Siluka’s fingers trembled slightly. It sounded a lot like her town’s Sealight Night. It sounded distinctly romantic. She blinked, and Wayne’s aura— _pink_ —flashed uncertainly.

“I mean, I won’t pressure you—“

“Do you want me to be your girl, Wayne?” She blurted it out, interrupting him, before she could think better of it. Immediately, Siluka clapped her hands over her mouth, trying to catch the traitorous words back. Too late.

“Yeah. For, uh, for the Starry Night Festival.”

Siluka’s throat felt tight, shame—an unfamiliar emotion—pricking at the corners of her eyes. Wayne wasn’t quite looking at her, hands in his pockets, chewing his lip, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the sandy ground. Before she could recover and force a sleepy, unembarrassed smile on her face, Wayne’s eyes suddenly shot to her face.

“I’m a right coward is what I am,” Wayne proclaimed with heat, brows furrowed. “No, I don’t want you to be my girl for the Starry Night Festival.” Siluka almost—almost—didn’t have enough time for a sharp spike of hurt to stab through her chest as he continued. “I want you to be my girl. I want you to be my girl every day, Siluka. I…I can’t keep this bottled up no more.” Wayne took a deep breath, his eyes glancing away before forcing themselves back to meet her stunned gaze. His pink-yellow aura flared to life.

Siluka’s voice was hoarse when she answered. “You…you like me?”

Wayne’s eyes widened. “Like you?” he repeated. “Siluka…Siluka, I love you from the bottom of my heart. And…and if you don’t feel that way about me, I wanna know now, before it hurts too much. And it’d hurt. But I don’t know if I can stand being silent any longer.”

Her heart pounded like it was trying to escape her chest. _Let me out! Let me out!_ She reached for him with both arms, new sandals dragging in the dust. His hands remained firmly stuffed into his pockets, but his stance was ramrod straight. He still looked her in the eyes.

Siluka gripped his wrists peeking out of the pockets. The fabric didn’t mask his warmth, his aftershave still lingering sharp and distinct in the winter air. She tilted her chin to see him better, see his defiant gaze and trembling lower lip. Her best, closest, most beloved friend. “I love you,” she told him, like a secret. But that wasn’t enough. She pulled back slightly, declared louder. “I love you, Wayne. I love you so much my heart hurts.”

The hands came out of the pockets then, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close. Wayne’s chin rested on top of her head, and she was glad her face was hidden against her chest, because she could feel a smile threatening to split her lip even as her eyes welled with happy tears. She nuzzled his chest to wipe them while he spoke into her hair.

“I can’t say I’ve never been in love before…but you are the first person I’ve ever loved this much, been this head-over-heels for.” As the last tears dried on her cheeks, he pulled away to look at her. His own eyes were moist when he added, “You…you really love me, huh?” Siluka nodded. He looked like he wanted to say more, something full of self-doubt and uncertainty, but Siluka interrupted him.

“Wayne, would you like to kiss me now?”

He took a moment to laugh, but laugh he did, a surprised and joyous thing. “More than anythin’.” When his fingers brushed her chin, Siluka’s eyelids fluttered closed almost of their own accord. Wayne’s lips were gentle, soft against hers, maybe a little chapped from Westown weather but oh, she’d maybe wondered what it would be like to kiss him in passing, but never had she dreamed it would be like this. Full of something delightful she hadn’t realized she’d been craving for a very, very long time. She cupped his face in her hands and angled her head to inch closer, but after pressing another lingering kiss against her lips, Wayne pulled back. A wide, silly grin and flushed cheeks painted his features.

“I finally, finally got to kiss you,” he said, brushing his thumb against her cheek. “Been wanting to do that for so long.” Siluka couldn’t help sulking.

“Then why did you stop?”

Wayne’s laugh boomed around the north side of town, and he cleared his throat to soften the noise. “Because we’re in public, darlin’. I’m sorry for laughin’, you just—you just looked so…cute.” 

Siluka beamed, stood on her toes in her new sandals, and pressed a quick kiss against Wayne’s lips. “You’re cute, too,” she said. “And I want to go to the Starry Night Festival with you.”

Wayne had other ideas as to how they should spend the festival, since Siluka wasn’t a Westownie. When the evening rolled around, hand in hand, he led Siluka up the Westown steps and behind the golden bell tower. He helped her hop a picket fence that she had never had the chance to notice before, and Siluka found herself in a clearing high up on the mountain with the inky night sky reaching millions of miles away, spread in front of her like a painting.

Wayne fluffed the blanket they’d brought and laid it on the grass. He sprawled out on it once it was smooth enough to his liking and patted the spot next to him. Siluka took her seat. 

“It’s beautiful, ain’t it?” Wayne took off his hat and placed it to the side. His hair stuck up in all directions, and Siluka patted a few cowlicks down. He smiled, closing his eyes as he let himself be pet, but after a few moments of indulgent petting, he caught her hand and began drawing her closer to him.

“We have to watch the stars,” Siluka giggled when their lips were about to meet.

“You’re the only star in my life,” Wayne teased, his breath making a few loose strands of her hair tickle her cheeks. He gave her a peck and seemed about to draw her in for a longer kiss, but Siluka placed her fingers on his lips. He opened his eyes, blue sparkling in the starlight. 

“You’re the sun to me,” she said. “You illuminate my everything. You make me warm and happy.”

Wayne was quiet for a moment. “You’ve said that before,” he said around her fingers. She removed them from his lips and cupped his cheek instead. He nuzzled her, closing his eyes again.

“It’s still true.” 

Wayne caught her hand again, but this time, he placed it on the blanket. “Two stars watching the night sky together,” he mused, leaning back against the blanket. “That’s somethin’ straight outta _Mystic Monthly_ ’s myth section.”

“I’m glad this is real,” Siluka whispered, getting settled and cozy on the blanket. She reached out for Wayne’s hand, and he gripped hers tightly when their brushing fingers met. “Did you bring snacks?”

“Who d’ya think I am?” 

Quiet laughter, stories spun through mouthfuls, and shy kisses accompanied their stargazing. The oldtimers in Westown probably would’ve kicked them out of the festival, Siluka thought as Wayne walked her back to Lulukoko. The giggles, stories, and kisses continued. 

And not just on the walk home. For days, a week later.

Holly came by before the New Year’s festivities began. She brought with her fresh rice cakes, which the sisters nibbled on politely, and good wishes for the year to come, which the sisters returned. 

“This was a good year,” Iluka told the farmer. “Big turnout at the cafe, lots of new produce flowing in at the market. I suppose we have you to thank for that.”

Holly disagreed. “It was a community effort. We couldn’t have done it alone.”

“Uh huh.” Iluka rolled her eyes and flounced away to put the remaining rice cakes in the icebox. While she clattered around in the kitchen, Holly spoke quietly with Siluka.

“You seem happy,” she remarked.

“I am.”

“I heard,” Holly grinned. “About you and Wayne. Big gossip.”

Siluka blinked, but didn’t respond.

“Congratulations.”

“There’s nothing to congratulate,” Siluka said without thinking better of it. “E kala mai. I just mean that I’m not lucky, or that I worked hard, or that I deserved this. It just is. And it’s good. I’m good.”

“He is, too,” Holly mused. “Wayne, I mean. And…he’s good. In that he’s a good person.”

Siluka smiled at her. “Everything happens for a reason, Holly. If it hadn’t been for you—in every way—this year would have been different.”

“I don’t know about that,” she replied. “I read _Mystic Monthly_ , too, you know. Life has a funny way of bringing people together. Fate.”

Siluka didn’t believe that, but kept quiet. Holly took the cue and left with more cheerful tidings, but Siluka thought over what the farmer had said. She felt they—Siluka, Wayne, Holly, everyone—had choices to make. Holly had chosen to help her. Siluka had chosen to let her. And Wayne…

Wayne had chosen to love her. Despite everything. Despite old hurts. Despite fear. Despite the overwhelming challenge of pursuing happiness when the world didn’t always seem fair. Despite her distraction, her spaciness, her different customs, her self-centered draw to him, Wayne loved her. 

It was a good thought to mull over as the day sped on. When Tototara gathered the town around the bonfire that evening, the sight of firelight flickering in Wayne’s eyes made every racing thought and the world surrounding it go still.

“I love you,” Siluka said to Wayne’s aura, quietly, so she wouldn’t disturb the New Year’s bonfire celebration’s revelers. Even Wayne, dancing with Alma and laughing along with the crowd, didn’t hear. “Thank you.”

But his aura must have, because it sparked bright yellow and radiant pink. Siluka smiled and joined in on the dancing, holding hands with Iluka and Ludus to spin in a circle. Her sandals were light and excited to dance, her friends’ and family’s auras melting together in a bright spark of life and love, and Siluka for once wasn’t looking forward to sleeping anytime soon.

When the sun stretched, yawned, and raised its drowsy glowing head from the clouds, showering all of Lulukoko in its warm springtime rays, Siluka held tightly to Wayne’s hand. The first thing she did in the new year, comparing her personal sunshiney love to the jealous glow in the sky.

* * *

**the end.**


End file.
